General Martok

Notes

General Martok has had a long and distinguished career in the Klingon military. He commanded the Klingon force which invaded Cardassia in 23721, and along with Gowron led the Klingon attack on Deep Space Nine in an attempt to capture the Detapa council.1Martok was subsequently captured by the Dominion and replaced with a Founder infiltrator. The Founder was killed thanks to Odo2, and Martok later escaped from his captivity along with Worf and Garak.3He subsequently served as commander of the Bird of Prey Rotarran, where the effects of his captivity hampered his effectiveness. With Worf's assistance he was able to overcome his lingering fears of the Dominion and once again prove himself in battle.4The Rotarran served in the area around Deep Space Nine, taking part in the operation to mine the mouth of the wormhole.5Once the station had fallen Martok continued aboard the Rotarran, operating alongside the USS Defiant.6He also operated on a higher level, helping Worf to persuade Chancellor Gowron to support the Federation's operation to re-take Deep Space Nine.7

After the battle, which marked the first major victory for the allies in the war, Martok was appointed supreme commander of the 9th fleet.8Worf and Martok often worked together and the two became great friends, with Worf eventually even becoming a member of the House of Martok.4Martok's wife Sirella was a difficult woman, and Worf struggled to persuade her to accept Jadzia Dax into their house when the two decided to marry.8

His combat successes led Gowron to appoint Martok as a fleet commander, and he served in command of Klingon forces on several occasions, for example during the invasion of the Chin'Toka system.9

Martok was not adverse to continuing to personally lead single-ship missions, though, such as the occasion when he allowed Worf to use the Rotarran to attack a Dominion shipyard in order to ensure Jadzia's entry to sto-vo-kor.10The attack was successful, but not all missions went so smoothly. When famed warrior Kor was appointed as third officer on the Rotarran, Martok was greatly displeased. Kor had damaged the General's career early in his life, and Martok had never forgiven him for this slight. Martok was especially pleased to find that the old dahar master was now long past his prime, prone to memory lapses and no longer capable of performing effectively. Martok did change his opinion when Kor took command of a Bird of Prey and fought a successful delaying action against no less than ten Dominion ships, allowing the Rotarran and two other Klingon ships to escape.11

Martok and Gowron had a falling out during the latter stages of the war. With the Federation and Romulan fleets out of action during the Klingons were struggling to hold their own against the Dominion, yet Chancellor ordered Martok to launch several major offensives against suicidal odds. As Gowron became more and more demanding, Worf finally challenged him to single combat and defeated him. However Worf turned down the role of Chancellor and instead handed it to Martok. Martok reluctantly accepted the role12, but later retaliated by pushing Worf into becoming the Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire.13